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Q U E S T - 3 D Version 3.1 Shareware Release User Manual Copyright (c) 1987-1989 The Quest Company ----------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 2 Introduction 2 System Requirements INSTALLING AND SETTING UP THE PROGRAM 3 Disk Contents 3 Installing QUEST-3D: Floppy Disk Systems Hard Disk Systems 5 Program Configuration HOW TO OPERATE THE PROGRAM 7 Using The Menus 8 Drawing Specification Reference 9 Keyboard Reference REGISTERED USERS 10 Version 6 Features 14 Registration Form 3D DESIGN: THE BASIC CONCEPTS 15 3D Space: The Drawing Environment 15 Cursor Movement On The Drawing Planes 15 Drawing Planes And Your Viewpoint COMMANDS AND OPERATION 16 Command Reference 46 Error Messages 1 INTRODUCTION QUEST-3D is a design and modeling program that enables you to create, view, and edit three-dimensional wire-frame objects and images. Completely menu driven, the program is easy to learn and use, and features versatile commands with emphasis on conceptual design and illustration applications. QUEST-3D features the ability to create drawings from any viewpoint around your drawing, and uses a simultaneous command architecture that allows you to use several viewpoint commands even during the drawing functions. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS QUEST-3D Version 3.1 requires the following: An IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or Compatible MS-DOS or PC-DOS Version 2.1 or later Two Floppy Disk Drives or Hard Disk 512K RAM CGA Mode - A Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) and compatible CGA Color Monitor. EGA Mode - An Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) and compatible EGA Color Monitor. VGA Mode - A VGA display adapter and compatible VGA Color Monitor. Optional - 8087/80287 Math Coprocessor supported. (Increased speed performance ranges between 3 to 10 fold) Notes: Printing your drawings using the Shareware release will require a memory resident screen printing utility. Screen Capture Programs can also be used to import drawings into several Paint Programs. 2 DISK CONTENTS Filename Description QUEST3D.EXE The QUEST-3D Program QUEST3D.CFG Configuration File QUEST3D.TMP Drawing Template File PART1.DOC Part 1 of the Version 3.1 Users Manual PART2.DOC Part 2 of the Version 3.1 Users Manual README.DOC Printing instructions for the manual FBPLANE.I3D Illustrated tutorial file LRPLANE.I3D Illustrated tutorial file TBPLANE.I3D Illustrated tutorial file TEMPLE.I3D A Greek temple (sample file) PYRAMIDS.I3D Pyramids (sample file) PLATFORM.I3D Offshore Oil Rig (sample file) STATION.I3D Space Station (sample file) BUILDING.I3D Small boutique style building (sample file) OFFICE.I3D Large office building (sample file) INSTALLING QUEST-3D The following installation procedures contain the instructions for setting up the QUEST-3D program for Floppy Disk or Hard Disk operation. FLOPPY DISK SYSTEM Format Two (2) Floppy Disks. Insert the QUEST-3D Shareware Disk into Drive A, and a newly formatted diskette into Drive B. At the DOS prompt, enter the following commands: A> COPY QUEST3D.EXE B: A> COPY QUEST3D.CFG B: A> COPY QUEST3D.TMP B: These are the three program files necessary to run QUEST-3D. Once they have been copied to your "new working program disk" in Drive B, remove the disk from Drive B, and insert the other newly formatted disk into Drive B. (Do not place a write protect label on your working program Disk.) At the DOS prompt, enter the following. A> COPY *.I3D B: 3 This will copy all the sample files to the disk in Drive B, and you can use it as a drawing file disk. When completed, remove the Shareware program disk from Drive A, and store it for safe keeping. Now place your new working program disk into Drive A. The installation of the program disks are complete, you are now ready to start the program, and configure it to your system. At the DOS prompt, enter the following: A> QUEST3D QUEST-3D will now be loaded into memory. When the opening menu is displayed, proceed to the section below titled: CONFIGURATION. HARD DISK SYSTEM Overview To run QUEST-3D from your hard disk, it is suggested that you first create a subdirectory for the QUEST-3D program files. From this new directory containing the program files, create another subdirectory that will contain your Drawing files. This will help keep your hard disk organized, and make it easier to selectively backup or copy the drawing files you create. Procedure Be sure you are in the root directory of your hard disk. C> CD\ Next, create a subdirectory for the QUEST-3D program files: C> MD QUEST Go to this new directory and create another subdirectory: C> CD QUEST C> MD DRAWINGS While still in the QUEST directory, insert the QUEST-3D Shareware Disk into Drive A, and issue the following commands: C> COPY A:QUEST3D.EXE C: C> COPY A:QUEST3D.CFG C: C> COPY A:QUEST3D.TMP C: 4 These are the three program files necessary to run QUEST-3D. Once they have been copied to your Hard Disk, go to your new DRAWINGS subdirectory: C> CD DRAWINGS Next, copy all of the sample files on the Shareware program disk to this subdirectory: C> COPY A:*.I3D C: When completed, remove the Shareware program disk from Drive A, and store it for safe keeping. The installation of the program files are complete. You are now ready to start the program and configure it to your system. Go back to the QUEST directory: C> CD C:\QUEST and issue the following command to start the program: C> QUEST3D QUEST-3D will now load into memory. When the opening menu is displayed, proceed to the section below titled: CONFIGURATION. CONFIGURATION The current program configuration is displayed on the opening screen of the program, under the headings: Graphics System and Directories. Your Graphics Display Adapter: QUEST-3D supports the three standard IBM graphics adapters: CGA, EGA, and VGA. Using the cursor keys, move the menu selector to the menu option: DISPLAY, and press ENTER. A submenu will appear, and display a menu option for each of the Display adapters mentioned above. Select the menu option of the Display adapter you have installed in your system. (MCGA users, select the CGA option). When you select a menu option, the configuration displayed on the opening screen will be updated to your choice. Once you have selected your display adapter, return to the Main Menu by selecting the Main Menu option at the bottom of the menu. Your Drawing File Disk or Directory: QUEST-3D allows you to specify any disk drive or directory for the storage of your drawing files. Select the menu option: 5 DIRECTORY. You will then be prompted to enter the Disk Drive or Directory of your drawing files. If you are using a Floppy Disk system where Drive A contains the QUEST-3D program, and Drive B the drawing files disk, then simply enter: B: If you are using a Hard Disk, and you have installed the program as described above in the Hard Disk Installation procedure, then enter the following: C:\QUEST\DRAWINGS Saving the configurations: To save your current system configurations, so QUEST-3D can use them each time the program is started, select SAVE SETUP from the menu. Your current configurations will be saved to disk. The program is now installed, configured, and ready to be used to create or view 3-D images. To learn how to create 3-D images, proceed to the section: 3D SPACE: THE DRAWING ENVIRONMENT. Or, to just view the sample files, see the command: 3D DRAW in the command reference section. 6 USING THE MENUS THE COMMAND MENUS - The menu selector consists of a small pointer that moves along both sides of the menu to indicate the current menu item for selection. You control the menu selector by using the UP and DOWN Cursor Keys. When you have the menu selector positioned at the desired command, just press ENTER. Depending upon the command, the program will either perform the desired task, or one of the submenus will appear. From time to time, messages may appear in the top row of the display. They may be questions for you to answer with a menu selection, or it might be a message informing you of what is taking place with your drawing. Whenever you wish to cancel a routine that has prompted you to select a filename or input, simply press ESCAPE and you will return to the menu again. THE FILE DIRECTORY - Another menu used in the program is the File Directory Menu. It is a special menu that lists the drawing files on disk. The screen is divided into two columns of files, each displaying the name of the file, its size in bytes, and the date it was last edited or created. If you have files in the directory, or on the disk, they will be listed here on the screen. If the particular file command requires you to choose a filename, the menu selector will appear after all the files have been listed. You can move the selector using the UP and DOWN cursor keys, and by using the LEFT and RIGHT keys you can move the selector to the other column. The File Directory Menu can contain a maximum of 380 files consisting of 10 pages of 38 files. If you have more than one page of files, the program will automatically move to the next page to list more files, if no more files are found, or if you want to move back to a previous page, use the PGUP Key. Likewise, if you want to page forward through the list, use the PGDN Key. If you have multiple pages, you can also jump to the first page by using the HOME Key, or to the last page using the END Key. 7 DRAWING SPECIFICATION REFERENCE The following specifications provide a quick reference about the drawings created by QUEST-3D. DATABASE 3D Vector & Boundary-Rep Coordinate System. Object oriented. Resolution Independent. MAXIMUM LINES AND SURFACES 3000 lines, 750 (4 vertex) to 1000 (3 vertex) surfaces. (Surfaces available only on Registered Users Release) MAXIMUM DRAWING SPACE -7000 to +7000 drawing units along each axis NORMAL DRAWING SPACE, MAXIMUM VIEWPORT -3000 to +3000 drawing units along each axis. Viewport height will depend on your display's aspect ratio. DISK DIRECTORY/PATH 3 user defined. Drawings Version 3.1 & 6 Library Version 6 only Export Files Version 6 only MAXIMUM DRAWING COLORS CGA Mode: 2, Black & White. EGA Mode: 16, user defined from 64 color palette. VGA Mode: 16, user defined from 64 color palette. VIEWPOINT CONTROL User controlled, 360 Degrees. Also, 4 defined Orthographic DRAWING FILE STORAGE Binary Format. Data Point, Line Vector, and Surface Boundary database. I3D File Format. (Drawing File listing & 3rd Party Developer Kit is available from The Quest Company) FILENAME EXTENSIONS Drawing and Library Files: "I3D" Versions 3.1 & 6 Plot to Disk Files: "PLT" Version 6 only HP-GL Disk Files: "HPL" Version 6 only DXF 2D and DXF 3D: "DXF" Version 6 only 8 KEYBOARD REFERENCE This is a summary of the keys used for the operation of QUEST-3D. The Menu and Command Reference Section also describes in more detail several of these keys, and where their use is appropriate. FUNCTION KEYS F1 - Filename input F2 - Previous Viewpoint F3 - Left View F4 - Right View F5 - Top View F6 - Front View F7 - Perspective (Ver.6 only) F8 - Axes Grid F9 - Units/Degrees F10 - Redraw CURSOR KEYS HOME, PGUP, PGDN, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT Moves the graphics cursor during the Drawing commands. Moves your viewpoint during the XYZ VP command or PAN-ZOOM command. LEFT, RIGHT Cycles the color palette during the COLOR-FORE command, and cycles the Drawing Units or Axes Rotation Degree increment during the F9 KEY. CHARACTER KEYS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, +, - Jumps to, or increments, the Zoom Factor while the PAN-ZOOM command is active. D Toggles the use of one of the three Drawing Planes while any of the Drawing commands is active P or Z Activates the PAN-ZOOM command. ESCAPE Where appropriate, cancels a command, exits a drawing command, or cancels an input prompt. 9 REGISTERED USER QUEST-3D Version 3.1 is a shareware program designed to introduce the principles of 3D graphics. A far more advanced level release of QUEST-3D, Version 6, is sent to users who contribute a registration fee to help support its production and development costs. Version 6 incorporates a full set of professional-level 3D design tools which include the following: MORE DRAWING COMMANDS --------------------- Circles, Arcs, Polygons, Surfaces, Curves, and B-Spline Curve fitting commands. NEW SURFACE MODELING COMMANDS ----------------------------- Automatic 2D to 3D surface extrusions with user selectable relative, or absolute, distances along any axis. For example, a 2D floor plan can be turned instantly into a 3-dimensional house as QUEST-3D automatically extends the floor plan into surfaces to create walls. Automatic 2D to 3D circular extrusions with user selectable degrees of revolution and surface sections. QUEST-3D automatically performs circular extrusions on 2D contours to create cylindrical objects - everything from spheres, cones, to elaborate circular objects can be created. Mold and reshape objects into other shapes using a command that allows the interactive repositioning of surfaces vertices. Users can specify the movement of just one specific surface vertex, or all vertices and line endpoints common to the same coordinate can be moved simultaneously. It's like pushing and pulling an object into another shape. ADVANCED VIEWING OPTIONS ------------------------ For the ultimate in three-dimensional viewing, the surface rendering feature automatically "paints" each surface in a drawing, transforming wire-frame drawings into completely painted scenes of solid models. Options include the rendering of surfaces with or without edge highlighting, and the rendering of scenes using the viewport or the entire screen. When rendering to the viewport, access to the COLORS MENU is available to instantly change color palettes while the completed rendering is displayed on the screen - giving users the ability to experiment with different colors for mood, lighting, or seasonal effects. 10 Automatic Hidden Line and Surface Removal can be performed which dramatically enhances the clarity of scenes, and displays your drawing in "solid" form. As in reality, only those lines, or line segments, visible from your viewpoint and not blocked by surfaces will be displayed. These enhanced views may also be output to a plotter, or exported in either DXF or HPGL format for use in other programs. Automatic 3-Point Perspective display. Turn On Perspective Mode and your drawing will be displayed in 3-Point Perspective. And because QUEST-3D maintains a true 3D database on every entity in a drawing (including, circles, curves, and text), everything in your drawing will be adjusted for full visual realism. MANIPULATE OBJECTS INDEPENDENTLY -------------------------------- Objects and/or Groups of objects can be controlled independently. Version 6 allows the designation of up to 100 different objects in each drawing! They can be Moved, Scaled, Edited, and even Rotated to any angle you desire, enabling users to control the exact location and orientation of any object in a drawing. No control points to set or manual input required - the commands have all been optimized for fast interactive control through the menu. And don't worry about remembering the names you gave each of your objects, QUEST-3D will display their names right in the menu - picking the object you want to manipulate is as easy as selecting a command. Copy, and Mirror Copy, commands are also included to quickly, and effortlessly, create duplicate objects. GRAPHICS LIBRARY SUPPORT ------------------------ Objects or shapes can be saved to disk and later merged into drawings whenever needed, saving valuable design time by never having to recreate objects. COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER PROGRAMS --------------------------------- QUEST-3D is designed to integrate easily into your current and future design system. HPGL disk files, as well as AutoCAD's 2D and 3D DXF files can be created - enabling images to be transferred to most CAD and Desktop Publishing programs for additional drawing enhancement or high resolution printing. DXF files created from 2D CAD programs can also be imported into Version 6, where the surface extrusion commands can turn your 2D drawing into a 3D image. 11 ADDITIONAL EDITING COMMANDS --------------------------- Erase Last, Undo Last, and Block Erase. Erase Last gives users fast, one key operation for erasing any entity (circle, lines, curves, etc.) that has just been drawn. If you change your mind, the Undo Last command will restore the entity that was just erased with the Erase Last command. And Block Erase allows users to specify an entire series of lines or surfaces to be deleted at one time, saving valuable time on major editing operations. TEXT ---- Version 6 will automatically generate text for any character, word, or phrase input by the user (1-40 characters at a time). The text is created using individual line segments and can be manipulated just like any other object. MOUSE SUPPORT ------------- Full Mouse support is included (Microsoft Mouse compatibles). PLOTTER SUPPORT --------------- Hewlett Packard and Houston Instrument Plotters are supported to provide high quality hardcopy output. Other plotters, or output devices, using either the Hewlett Packard HP-GL or the Houston Instrument DM/PL command languages are also supported. AND MORE -------- A 170 page printed manual is included with the Version 6 program, and contains illustrations and a tutorial. Free Technical Support is provided to registered users only. Additionally, registered users will receive information on all future updates as they become available. IMPORTANT --------- QUEST-3D Version 6 requires systems to be equipped with 640K. This differs from the v3.1 Shareware Release, which requires only 512K. (QUEST-3D Version 6 enjoys itself with about 535K of RAM.) 12 How to become a registered user: -------------------------------- By Mail: Fill out the registration form on the next page, and send it along with the Registration Fee to the address below. VISA and MASTERCARD are accepted. By Phone: The Registration Fee is payable by credit card. VISA and MASTERCARD are accepted. THE QUEST COMPANY 3117 W. Holland Ave. Fresno, CA 93722 Ph. (209) 222-5301 9 AM - 5 PM Pacific Time Monday - Friday, except Holidays 13 REGISTRATION FORM QUEST-3D Registration $59.95 Package includes Version 6 Program Disks, Library Files, Sample Files, and Printed Manual. ADD Shipping and Handling: (check one) ______ U.S. destination - First Class Mail $ 5.00 ______ U.S. destination - UPS Ground $ 7.00 ______ U.S. destination - UPS Blue $ 9.00 ______ Canada destination - AIR MAIL $ 6.00 ______ Foreign destination - AIR MAIL $15.00 _______ California Residents Only: ADD Sales Tax $3.90 _______ TOTAL .................... $_______ Payment may be by Check or Money Order in U.S. Dollars payable on a U.S. Bank. Make Check or Money Order payable to: The Quest Company. VISA and MASTERCARD is accepted. Sorry no C.O.D.'s. Purchase Orders must be accompanied with payment. SHIP TO: Name: ___________________________________________________________ Company (if applicable) _________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ If payment is by VISA or MASTERCARD, please provide the following information: Card Number: ___________________________________ Exp. Date ______ Name as it appears on card ______________________________________ Signature _______________________________________________________ Daytime Telephone _______________________________________________ 14 3D SPACE: THE DRAWING ENVIRONMENT To create true three-dimensional images requires the ability to select points in 3D space. To identify these points (the end points for lines or surface vertices) a coordinate system is used that represents the point's location. The coordinate system must specify how far to the side, how close or far back, and how high or low the point is. A coordinate format of X,Y,Z identifies this location. The "X" represents the location from side to side (the X-Axis). The "Y" represents the location's length (the Y-Axis). And the "Z" represents the height or depth of the point (the Z-Axis). Together these 3 Axes create the 3 separate "Drawing Planes" that you can draw on, or through, when creating images. The planes are sometimes referred to as the X-Y Plane, the Y-Z Plane, and the X-Z plane. However, to make it easier and more understandable, QUEST-3D uses names for these Drawing Planes that in reality correspond to the sides of an image. They are the Left-Right Plane (the Y-Z Plane), the Front-Back Plane (the X-Z Plane), and the Top-Bottom Plane (the X-Y Plane). CURSOR MOVEMENT ON THE DRAWING PLANES When you are creating a 3D image, you will be able to choose which of the Drawing Planes you want the graphics cursor to travel or draw on. Simply determine which side of your image the cursor must travel on to get to your desired location, and select that Drawing Plane. Drawing Planes are selected while using the LINES or MV CURSOR commands, and pressing the letter "D" on your keyboard. The current drawing plane is displayed below the "Model Menu" in graphics mode. During the LINES or MV CURSOR commands, the movement of the graphics cursor can be controlled by any of the cursor keys. Each time you press a cursor key, the graphics cursor will move to a new location. When the graphics cursor moves, it moves by a Drawing Unit increment that can be controlled by using the F9 KEY. This allows you to set the movement of the graphics cursor to a specific scale. The F9 KEY can be activated whenever the LINES or MV CURSOR commands are in use. DRAWING PLANES AND YOUR VIEWPOINT QUEST-3D is designed to allow the creation of images from any viewpoint. To accomplish this, QUEST-3D not only moves the graphics cursor on the current drawing plane in the direction of the cursor key, but also moves the graphics cursor in relation to your 3D viewpoint. 15 Included with the program are three tutorial illustration files. Each file illustrates one of the three drawing planes: The FBPLANE.I3D file shows the Front-Back Drawing plane. The LRPLANE.I3D file shows the Left-Right Drawing plane. The TBPLANE.I3D file shows the Top-Bottom Drawing plane. (For simplicity, only the Left, Right, Up, and Down cursor key directions are illustrated, but you may also use the Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn cursor keys to move the graphics cursor) When viewing the three tutorial illustration files, use the XYZ VP command to pick new viewpoints. Note the direction of the arrows - the arrows indicate the path the graphics cursor will take when either the Left, Right, Up, or Down, cursor key is pressed. ORTHOGRAPHIC VIEWPOINT KEYS AND AUTO DRAWING PLANE SELECTION QUEST-3D has also been designed to automatically select drawing planes for you, but ONLY WHEN USING THE ORTHOGRAPHIC VIEWPOINT KEYS (F3-F6). The drawing plane selected by QUEST-3D will be the one most associated with that particular viewpoint, i.e. Pressing F3 will change your viewpoint to the Left View and also switch the drawing plane to the "Left-Right" drawing plane, since this drawing plane would most likely be the one you wish to use from a Left View. (If you wish to use another drawing plane, you may still use the "D" key to switch the drawing plane - similar to that if you were drawing from an arbitrary 3-D viewpoint.) Also, using the F2 Key not only switches your viewpoint back to your "Previous Viewpoint," but also switches you back to the drawing plane you were using prior to the use of the orthographic viewpoint keys. * * * * * * * * * * * * Using the concepts described above, and trying out a drawing of your own, you will quickly discover how the correlation between the Drawing planes and your viewpoint, give you the freedom to accurately create images from any location in 3D space. More specific descriptions for each of the three drawing planes can be found in the command reference section. See the commands: LEFT- RIGHT, FRONT-BACK, and TOP-BOTTOM. COMMAND REFERENCE The next section contains a complete description of the commands used in QUEST-3D Version 3.1. The descriptions in the Command Reference are in alphabetical order. 16 3D DRAW Summary: Starts a new 3D Modeling session. Menu(s): MAIN Procedure To begin a new drawing, or view and edit an existing one, the 3D DRAW command will list all the files in the Drawings Directory. Move the menu selector to the name of the file you wish to edit or view. If you want to begin a new drawing, press the F1 KEY and input a new filename. Do not include the ".I3D" filename extension. Following the selection or input of a filename, the program will enter the graphics mode. If you entered a new filename, the default drawing settings in the file TEMPLATE.CFG are loaded. Once the MODEL MENU appears, you are free to begin creating your new drawing. If you selected a file that already exists, the file will be loaded into memory and displayed. You can then begin selecting commands from the menu. To end a graphics session and return to the opening menu, select MAIN MENU located on the MODEL MENU. You will be prompted to confirm your choice to "Return to Main Menu ?" Select CANCEL if you wish to remain in graphics mode, or RETURN to end the current graphics session. YOU CAN NOT SAVE YOUR DRAWING FROM THE MAIN MENU, SO BE SURE TO SAVE YOUR FILE BEFORE SELECTING "RETURN" See Also DIRECTORY, TEMPLATE, SAVE FILE 17 COLOR-BACK Summary: Displays the Background Color Menu. Menu(s): COLORS Procedure The Background Color Menu displays 16 colors (0-15). Next to each color number is a color block, so you can see which color is currently set to each background color number. If you are using an EGA or VGA system, selecting a color will immediately redraw your image with the new background color. After selecting your background color number, you will return to the Colors Menu. EXPANDING THE BACKGROUND COLOR CHOICES: Even though you have only 16 background colors to choose from, with QUEST-3D you can still use any one of the 64 colors (0-63) as a background. For example, suppose you choose color number 13 and your image is redrawn, but the colors do not look very good. On the Colors Menu, select COLOR-FORE. When the Foreground Color Menu appears, move the menu selector down to color number 13 and press ENTER. This will activate the palette selector. Using the LEFT or RIGHT cursor keys will allow you to instantly change the background color. You can now cycle through all 64 colors and choose the background color that looks best with your image. When you find it, just press ENTER. Your background color is now set, and you can return to the Model Menu by selecting CANCEL. CGA users: The COLOR-BACK command is primarily for use with EGA and VGA display systems. If you perform a screen redraw while using a background color number other than 0, the screen will appear all white (white lines on a white background). If this happens, simply use the COLOR-BACK command and select the color number: 0. See Also COLOR-FORE 18 COLOR BARS Summary: Full Screen display of current colors. EGA and VGA display systems only. Menu(s): COLORS Procedure Selecting COLOR BARS will clear the entire screen and display all 16 colors (0-15) from the current palette selection. This screen allows you to better judge the range of colors you are currently working with. To resume the program, press any key and the graphics viewport and Colors Menu will be redisplayed. See Also COLOR-FORE 19 COLOR-FORE Summary: Allows you to set each foreground color to any one of 64 colors. Menu(s): COLORS Procedure The Foreground Color Menu displays 16 colors (0-15). Each color number is listed, and next to the color number is yet another number, this number corresponds to one of the EGA or VGA palette colors (0-63). Next to each palette color number is a color block, so you can see which color is currently set to each color number. (EGA and VGA only) QUEST-3D always keeps the color Black assigned to color number 0, and is the only color number you can not change. The other 15 color numbers can be assigned any one of the 64 colors. To change a foreground color assignment, move the menu selector to the color number you want to change, and press ENTER. A message will be displayed at the top of the screen indicating you to use the RIGHT or LEFT cursor keys to cycle through the palette. Next to the message is a much larger color block, and in front of it, the number corresponding to one of the 64 colors (0-63). As you press the cursor key, the color block will change color, and any line in your drawing using the selected color number (0- 15) will also change. When you find a color you like, press ENTER. You can now repeat the procedure for another color number, or return to another menu with CANCEL or COLORS. You may also press ESCAPE during the palette cycling process to restore the original color assignment you had before. Notes QUEST-3D uses color number 2 for the viewport border, number 14 for the menu and setting titles, and number 15 for messages and the menu pointers. Feel free to reassign their colors. See Also COLOR-BACK, NEW COLOR 20 DIRECTORY Summary: Allows you to specify the Disk Drive and/or Path specification for your drawing files. Menu(s): MAIN Procedure When retrieving or saving files, QUEST-3D needs to know which Disk Drive and/or Path the files are located. This command allows you to configure the Drive specification that will be used to locate and save your drawing files. (The Library and Export File directories are reserved features used on the registered users release.) The DIRECTORY command will prompt you to enter the Disk Drive and Path specification you would like to use. You are allowed to have a specification up to a maximum of 40 characters. To cancel the command, press ESCAPE. To enter, type in the specification and press ENTER. If you are setting a Disk Drive Only specification, then you must use the following syntax: enter the Disk Drive Letter and a colon. Do Not enter a backslash or any other character. An example to use Disk Drive B is simply: B: If you are using a Path specification, then use the following syntax: enter the Disk Drive Letter followed by a colon, then enter the backslash "\" followed by the name of the directory. Do not include a backslash at the end of the directory. For example, suppose you have QUEST-3D in a directory called "Quest" on your Hard Disk, and you have a subdirectory for your drawing files located below the "Quest" directory. If the subdirectory for the Drawing files was named "Drawings" then the entry would be: C:\QUEST\DRAWINGS Notes Using this command resets the directory path temporarily, and keeps the changes in effect until you QUIT the program. Use the SAVE SETUP command to keep the setting permanent. 21 DISPLAY Summary: Graphics Adapter configuration. Menu(s): MAIN Procedure To specify the use of a particular Graphics Adapter, the DISPLAY command will list the three adapters supported by QUEST-3D. Choose the graphics adapter installed in your computer system. QUEST-3D supports the CGA/MCGA, EGA, and VGA. (Color Monitors Only) Use the SAVE SETUP command to keep the setting permanent. Otherwise, the program will only keep your selection in effect until you QUIT the program. SEE ALSO SAVE SETUP 22 DP B/W Summary: Clears the menu from the display, and temporarily redraws your image in full screen mode using a White background and Black lines. Menu(s): VIEW Procedure DP B/W (Desktop Publishing Black & White) redraws the current view without a menu or message area by using the entire screen as the drawing viewport. The program displays your image with Black lines on a White background to better simulate the way your drawing might appear in a Desktop Publishing program, or how it will appear when printed or plotted. The program is paused temporarily, and pressing any key will reset the viewport and return you back to the View Menu. See Also FULL SCRN 23